Fear vs. anxiety: How are they different?
Delve into the nuanced distinctions between anxiety and fear, and how to navigate these emotions effectively in daily life.
Key takeaways
- Fear is typically a short-term physiological response with a known trigger, while anxiety can last for much longer and may occur for a number of reasons.
- When you have a specific fear that affects your daily life, you may have a phobia, which does fall under the umbrella of anxiety disorders.
Fear and anxiety are two closely related emotions. They can feel very similar, even resulting in some of the same physical symptoms, like increased heart rate, shortness of breath, or sweating. However, the causes of fear and anxiety are different, and researchers emphasize the importance of viewing fear and anxiety as two separate entities rather than using the terms interchangeably.
Additionally, it’s crucial to understand the signs that fear and anxiety might be getting out of hand, signifying a mental health condition such as an anxiety disorder.
Read on to learn about the distinctions between fear and anxiety, when fear becomes an anxiety disorder, and more.
Understanding fear
Fear is a strong emotion that comes up in response to an immediate, identifiable threat.
From an evolutionary standpoint, fear helped our distant ancestors survive life-threatening situations. Although we’re no longer running away from wild animals, the fear response still survives the same evolutionary purpose: to keep us safe.
Fear acts as an alarm, setting off your fight-or-flight response. A part of the brain called the amygdala senses the danger and then sets the fight-or-flight response into action, which prepares your body to protect itself from real danger by fighting it off or running away.
Fear and the fight-or-flight response result in many physiological changes, including:
- Increased heart rate
- Increased blood pressure
- Flushed face
- Dilated pupils
- Shortness of breath or shallow breathing
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Muscle tension
- Decreased pain response
Fear is short-lasting, and the effects fade after the threat or danger is gone. It may take your body up to 30 minutes to calm down and return to baseline.
Understanding anxiety
Anxiety is an emotion that arises in response to a perceived future threat or in anticipation of potential future threats and “what ifs.” It stems from other emotions or thoughts rather than an immediate threat in your environment. There doesn’t need to be a clear or present danger for anxiety to occur.
Compared to fear, anxiety is more chronic and longer lasting. You may ruminate on a perceived threat in the future that may or may not actually happen.
Anxiety can result in both physiological and physical manifestations.
Psychological symptoms of anxiety include:
- Intense excessive worry
- Trouble controlling anxious thoughts
- Feelings of impending doom or danger
- Panicking
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Desire to avoid things that trigger anxiety
Physical symptoms of anxiety include:
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Upset stomach
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Muscle tension
- Trouble sleeping
- Heart palpitations or rapid heartbeat
- Otherwise unexplained aches and pains
Feelings of anxiety can be overwhelming and long-lasting. If you struggle with persistent, chronic anxiety, it can take a toll on both your mental and physical health.
The overlap between fear and anxiety
There are many similarities between how fear and anxiety feel, but also some key differences between these two emotional responses.
When does fear become an anxiety disorder?
Fear is a normal biological response that pops up during times of real danger to keep you safe and help you survive any threat that comes your way. However, if your fear is harming you more than helping you, or if it’s turning into more persistent anxiety and hard-to-control worry, you might have an anxiety disorder.
Types of anxiety disorders include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): GAD involves chronic, persistent worry and anxiety that’s hard to control. The anxiety is out of proportion to the actual stressors and interferes with your daily life.
- Panic disorder: Panic disorder is characterized by panic attacks and fear of future panic attacks occurring. Panic attacks are episodes of sudden and intense anxiety. You might feel like you’re losing control or “going crazy” and have physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, and dizziness. Although these attacks are short (typically between 5 to 30 minutes), they are extremely distressing.
- Specific phobias: Phobias are irrational, persistent fears that are disproportionate to the feared thing or situation. If you have a phobia, you likely avoid the phobia trigger at all costs, or if you are exposed to it, you experience extreme anxiety.
- Social anxiety disorder (SAD): Social anxiety or social phobia is when social situations or interactions are extremely anxiety-inducing. Typically, there’s a fear of being embarrassed or judged in these situations. The anxiety leads to avoidance of social scenarios that might be triggering.
- Agoraphobia: Agoraphobia is marked by a fear of places or situations (like crowded public places) where you might not be able to easily escape or get help. As a result, you avoid these anxiety-inducing scenarios.
Additionally, there are a few mental health disorders that result in anxiety as a symptom, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
To be diagnosed with any of these mental health disorders, you must meet the diagnostic criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). A mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, can complete a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation to assess your symptoms, history, and more to determine your diagnosis.
If your anxiety and fear are getting in the way of you living your day-to-day life and impacting your functioning and quality of life, consider seeking help from a mental health professional. Treatment such as therapy, psychiatric medications, or both can help get your anxiety under control.
Are you looking for a psychiatrist to help you with your anxiety? Consider Talkiatry. We’re a national psychiatry practice that treats a variety of mental health conditions, including anxiety disorders. We provide virtual, in-network services so you can get the care you need from home. To get started, complete our free online assessment to get matched with a psychiatrist.
FAQs
Can you have fear without anxiety?
Yes, you can have fear without anxiety. The fear response is involuntary, occurring due to an immediate threat of real danger. Signs of the fear reaction will subside on their own after the threat has gone away.
Fear without anxiety often occurs in situations where your body automatically reacts to a threat and experiences the fear response, but you don’t dwell on it after or ruminate about possible threats in the future.
What calms fear and anxiety?
Fear will subside on its own after the immediate threat goes away. If you have persistent, chronic anxiety as a result of an anxiety disorder, therapy and medications can help.
Therapy modalities for anxiety include:
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
- Exposure therapy
A therapist will teach you coping skills such as breathing exercises and other grounding techniques to cope with fear and anxiety-related symptoms in the moment.
Medications for anxiety include:
- Antidepressants
- Benzodiazepines
- BusPar (buspirone)
A mental healthcare provider, such as a psychiatrist, will be your best guide to determine the best treatment for you. Consider Talkiatry if you’re looking for a virtual, in-network psychiatrist to prescribe you anxiety medication.
The information in this article is for education and informational purposes only and should never be substituted for medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. If you or someone you know may be in danger, call 911 or the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 right away.
